Monday Night Dinner: Sauteed Whole Wheat Rotini with Veggies

This dish was something inspired by my father, who had made a sauteed pasta with chicken and vegetables and spent a good 15 minutes describing the recipe to me as though it had been an adventure of culinary discovery.  I was intrigued, and it sounded delicious.  The version I made was much simpler, intended to go next to grilled halibut, so I opted to select flavors that didn't over-shine the fish.  I think, though, that it is a good jumping-off point for a versatile dish and you could add different herbs, meats, and vegetables to take it in a variety of directions.

Sauteed Whole Wheat Rotini with Veggies

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
• 12 oz 100% whole wheat rotini
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 4 cups stock (chicken or mushroom)
• 2 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 1/4 cup white wine
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Heat olive oil in a large pan.
Add onion and garlic and saute.
Add uncooked pasta and saute until slightly browned.
Gradually add in chicken or mushroom stock and white wine, stirring every couple minutes.
Salt and pepper as you go to taste.
Squeeze in the lemon juice.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan saute zucchini in a touch of olive oil until slightly browned. set aside.
When pasta has nearly completely absorbed liquid, add zucchini and cherry tomatoes to pasta and toss to combine.

Sprinkle each serving with a little Parmesan if desired.

Serves 6